The Vuelta will be starting within the next week! Live coverage will be on Eurosport with highlights on Quest.


All comments, remarks and discussion welcome throughout the contest!

As if by magic a banner has appeared :magic: I'll definitely be following this and I'll probably get some prep threads up soon, excitement!

ITV4 have for some reason decided not to show the Vuelta this year, meaning we're lumped with the highlights show on Quest at 11pm :nocheer:

ITV4 have for some reason decided not to show the Vuelta this year, meaning we're lumped with the highlights show on Quest at 11pm :nocheer:

I think it is because they are prioritizing showing British Open snooker live from Monday. :unsure:

And to add insult to injury, the first stage wasn't even shown! :lol: Thankfully we did get the second stage where Jasper Phillipsen won after a string of second places at the Tour. Roglic is in red.

A fab race today - delighted to see Rein Taaramae take not only the race win but red as well - both for the obscureness of an Estonian winning plus also for doing it for the least successful WorldTour team!

Fantastic to see Jakobsen win yesterday, particularly after the horrendous crash last year the fact he's even racing is a miracle, yet alone winning.

 

Another sprint stage today but a massive crash took out half the peloton and Taaramae never got back into the main group :( Kenny Ellisonde takes over the red jersey.

Thrilling stage today - Magnus Cort winning from the breakaway but only a bike length from Roglic :o Delighted for him. Ellisonde falls away so Roglci back in red.

Michael Stoerer takes the stage today from the break! Roglic stays in red, a smattering of breakaway riders make the Top 10.

Rest day today - Roglic took more time out of everyone yesterday, only Mas now within a minute of him!

Stage 18 results

 

1. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col/Movistar) 4hrs 41mins 21secs

2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +14secs

3. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +20secs

4. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +22secs

5. Jack Haig (Aus/Bahrain Victorious) +58secs

6. David De La Cruz (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) Same time

7. Gino Mader (Swi/Bahrain Victorious)

8. Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert)

9. Sepp Kuss (US/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 6secs

10. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 7secs

 

General classification after stage 18

 

1. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) 73hrs 24mins 25secs

2. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +2mins 30secs

3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col/Movistar) +2mins 53secs

4. Jack Haig (Aus/Bahrain Victorious) +4mins 36secs

5. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +4mins 43secs

6.Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +5mins 44secs

7. Sepp Kuss (US/Jumbo-Visma) +6mins 2secs

8. Gino Mader (Sui/Bahrain Victorious) +7mins 48secs

9. Guillaume Martin (Fra/Cofidis ) +8mins 31secs

10. Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +9mins 2secs

I've been on holiday throughout this so wasn't able to comment along as much but Roglic absolutely smashed that! Mas did well to keep within 3 minutes of him right until the last stage but there was nothing he could do to stop Roglic taking another two out of him on that time trial. Very happy for Happy Haig finishing in the Top 3, and I've become somewhat of a Gino Mader fan over the past year so Top 5 and the white jersey was an incredible result for him. Yates was a tad unlucky in fourth but nothing he could do to get any higher.

 

Moment of the race has to be Champoussin riding past all the leaders whilst they were staring at each other and stealing the win :lol: Completely unexpected but absolutely fantasic.

 

And remember when everyone was taking about Grand Tours getting closer last year after all of them had margins of less than a minute? Well that's been completely unravelled after the Tour and Vuelta margins this year!